Eye Related Apps for Mobiles and Tablets
There are several apps for smartphones and tablets popping up on a regular basis some you can't live without, some are helpful and others... well you wonder why they bothered.
There are numerous apps available that are related from those that help you with your diet to those that allow you to virtually try on coloured contact lenses. Below we list a few apps we particularly like which are available on the App Store for iOS and on the Google Play store for Android.
Apps for Colour Vision and Colour Blindness
According to Colour Blind Awareness there are 3 million colour blind people in the UK affecting approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women, so it's very probably you will know a colour blind man and unlikely you will know a colour blind woman.
There are apps for people with colour blindness to help them distinguish the colours a “normal” eye sees? There are also apps to help people who are not colour-deficient to see the world the way someone with colour blindness sees it. Apps for colour vision are listed below:
ColorDeBlind. ColorDeBlind, by Elektron Software, available on iOS only, serves two purposes. It uses live video to help people with colour blindness see the real world in ways they haven’t before. We have found it is especially helpful for people with red/green deficiencies, it also allows people who are not colour-blind to experience colour blindness, which is a great way to help you understand what your colourblind friend is really seeing.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/colordeblind/id513...
ColorBlind Helper. This app, by Andres Felipe Vergara Gonzalez, allows users to select an image and get the name of any colour in the image. The app has 1,500 colour names, which is a benefit to those who are only familiar with basic colours, such as red, green, blue, etc and a great way to settle disputes with friends over the correct name for the colour of your new trainers. Some people like that this app provides them with hexadecimal values for colours.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/app/colorblind-helper/id557094938
Color Blind Pal. This app, by Vincent Fiorentini, is a must-try for anyone who is colour-blind. If you have moderate deuteranopia, (colour blindness resulting from insensitivity to green light)which affects you may find this app useful. This app allows you to “shift” colours. The app allows people to get the names for colours they are looking at, including simple, common names, scientific names, and colloquial names. You can also pull the RGB values for colours as well.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.colorblindpal.colorblindpal
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/color-blind-pal/id1037744228?mt=8
Chromatic Vision Simulator. This app allows you to be colour-deficient in real-time. If you have ever wondered how a colourblind person actually sees a painting, a sunrise or any other beautifully colourful image then this is the app for you.
It allows the user to see how people with dichromat colour blindness see the world around them
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=asada0.android.cvsimulator
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chromatic-vision-simulator/id389310222?mt=8
HueVue. This free app by AppFoundry allows people with colour blindness to identify, match and coordinate colours. Users can build their own “colour library”. The app is free. Android users do not like the ads but it is a popular choice for Apple users.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/app/huevue-colorblind-tools/id318177578?mt=8
LedScope for Color Blind. Many colour-blind users say that this is the best app they have ever used. It comes with a free trial and is very affordable. This app is very useful for detecting the colour of small LED lights. It also uses simple colour names such as “red, or “blue”. It is not available for Apple devices.
Apps for Coloured Contact Lenses
Alcon Labs provide this great Virtual Try On app, so that you can upload your photo, and try on the different Air Optix Color Contact Lenses. It's a great way to try before you buy.
Eye Colour Studio is a great app that allows you to try out various colours, not just one brand, so you can see how you would look with blue, green or brown eyes, or be inventive, and just try changing one eye colour for that wow effect.
Apps For Macular Degeneration
If you are at risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are diagnosed with it and are monitoring, or need an AMD app, this section is for you:
Amsler Grid. Not only is this app free, it contains no advertisements and no weird permissions to run. This is the same test that Optometrists use in practice. It runs while offline as well. Ossibus Software did an amazing job with this app. The app displays the Amsler Grid, a simple test to test for AMD symptoms or worsening of conditions. If you monitor AMD, this app is for you. This app is only available for Android, but there is an Amsler Grid for iOS users below (see eyeTestsFree).
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ossibussoftware.amsler
eyeTestsFree. If you use iOS and need an Amsler Grid test, this is your app. George Kong Softwares made this app to test for many things such as visual acuity, near reading vision, macular function, peripheral vision, and more. The app has eye charts, the Amsler Grid and side vision tests. It is not a replacement for your eye care professional but is a neat app, especially if you are monitoring AMD.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eyetestsfree/id443429234?mt=8
Apps for Visual Impairment
iRead. This app basically turns your smartphone into a magnifying glass. It can use the light on your phone as well for low-light situations, such as dimly lit restaurants. If you forget your reading glasses, this app will rescue you. This app is only available for Android. iOS users, please see “Magnifying Glass with Light” below.
Android: Sadly this app is not available on the Play Store anymore.
Magnifying Glass With Light. This is a paid-for app and is a magnifying glass with light. Much like “iRead” above, it is great if you are trying to read a menu or something and you have forgotten your reading glasses.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/magnifying-glass-light-digital/id406048120
PocketBraille Reference. Michael Doise has made this excellent, easy to use app for people who would like to learn Braille, or need to reference Braille. In addition to numbers, alphabet, and punctuation, it also has contractions.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocketbraille-reference/id439153034?mt=8
Contact Lens Tracking Apps
Contact Lens Tracker. This simple app keeps track of how many times you have worn your contact lenses.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/contact-lens-tracker/id363853333
New apps are being released daily so always check your app store to find out the latest eye-related apps, they can be fun, educational or both.
Author: John Dreyer Optometrist Bsc(Hons), MCOPTOM, DipCLP
Created: 18 Dec 2016, Last modified: 20 May 2024
